Artist's Statement....a.k.a. Mike's Manifesto (Take 2):

I've never been good at writing traditional artist's statements. Once, after just finishing James Joyce's Ulysses, I wrote a two-page artist's statement entirely in stream of consciousness. Another time, taking my cue from the early days of Bob Dylan, I made up an entirely false biography for myself, including a highly inspirational recently deceased cat named Fluffers...for that one I even faked a picture of me and the cat. Those were probably the two best artist's statements I ever wrote.

It's not that I don't know what I'm trying to do with my work or that I don't know how to express those goals. It's more that sitting down and writing a formal essay about the work I'm doing is to my mind, contrary to the work I'm doing. It's something of a letdown to find that after hours and hours sitting with a paintbrush or a sharpie in hand, trying to poke fun at convention and laugh at the rules, the next step is to be conventional about what you've done and follow the rules in order to show it.

That said, after careful consideration I've decided I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than stab myself in the back. My artist's statement is as follows....

I make art because the following things are in the world: The Marx Brothers, Neck Tattoos, and my 300 pound ex-boss who constantly made anti-semitic comments to me when she knew that my fiance was Jewish. These things make me laugh, confuse me, and make me angry....there are thousands of other things that fall into each of those categories....and I learned a long time ago that while there are lots of things in life that will make you angry, and even more things that won't make sense...there is nothing that you can't laugh at. Maybe the system works for you, but it doesn't work for me...and while I know I can't beat it....I also know I can poke it with a sharp stick...or at least a sharp-ie...until it swallows me whole.

Cheers,

Mike D'Ariano